Senior HR Consultant - Turnbull Engineering Build the people function of a fast-growing engineering firm - without the bureaucracy.

Turnbull Engineering is one of Australia's fastest-growing consulting engineering firms. We deliver multidisciplinary design and consultancy services across Transport, Power Transmission, Renewable Energy and Water, with teams in NSW, QLD, SA and the United Arab Emirates. Our clients are government agencies, construction contractors and private developers who trust us with complex infrastructure.

We need someone to own the HR function - all of it.

What you'll be doing

You'll be our HR function, end to end. You'll own Employment Hero, our contracts and compliance, onboarding and offboarding, visa administration, and be the first call for our Group Leaders on performance and people matters. You'll run graduate recruitment and help teams find the right people. You'll help us build a structured learning and development system.

This is a three-day-a-week role. As our team grows and demand increases, we expect to add a junior HR team member alongside you.

How we work

People over process, context over control. We don't shy away from a well-thought-out process when one is needed, but we'd rather hire great people, give them the context and training to make good decisions, and get out of their way. You'll have real autonomy and real accountability.

Who you are

Proactive and personable - you don't wait to be asked

Comfortable working through uncertainty; you'd rather build the road than wait for a map

Strong on Australian employment law, contracts and compliance

Experienced with a HRIS (Employment Hero strongly preferred)

Care about culture and want to help shape one, not just administer one

4+ years in a generalist HR role, ideally in professional services, engineering or a fast-growing business

What's on offer

Part-time, 3 days a week, permanent

Genuine ownership of the HR function, direct access to the leadership team, and the opportunity to build a team under you as we grow

Flexibility on days and location

Competitive market salary. Remuneration is dependent on experience.

If you want a role where the people function is yours to shape, we want to hear from you.

Applications close Applications close 11:59pm AEST, Sunday 27 September 2026.

Position Title:

Senior HR Consultant

Reports to:

Director of Operations

Employment type:

Permanent, part-time 0.6 FTE (3 days/week)

Location:

Brisbane or Sydney office, hybrid

Direct reports:

None initially; a junior HR role is anticipated as the firm grows

Key relationships:

Directors, Group Leaders, Finance, HSEQ Manager, all team members across NSW, QLD, SA and UAE

Purpose of the role

To own and operate Turnbull Engineering's HR function end to end - ensuring employment compliance, running the employee lifecycle, supporting leaders with people matters, and building the recruitment, development,



remuneration and engagement capability the firm needs to keep growing well.

Key responsibilities

1. Employment contracts and compliance

Draft, issue and manage employment contracts through Employment Hero

Maintain contract compliance with the Fair Work Act, applicable modern awards and NES; track variations, renewals and expiries

Manage state-based obligations across NSW, QLD and SA (e.g. long service leave)

Coordinate with Finance on remuneration changes, superannuation, leave and payroll implications

Maintain accurate employee records

2. HR platform administration

Act as system owner for Employment Hero: configuration, user management, workflows, reporting and data integrity

Continuously improve how the platform is used across the business

3. Employee lifecycle

Manage and, where required, personally conduct onboarding and offboarding

Ensure new starters have the context, tools and induction they need to be productive quickly

Conduct exit interviews and feed insights back to leadership

4. Performance management support

Support Group Leaders with performance conversations, plans and documentation

Coach leaders on handling underperformance, probation and difficult conversations

Maintain a simple, consistent performance framework

5. Recruitment

Own and run the annual graduate recruitment program end to end

Coordinate recruitment activity across the business; help hiring managers define roles, source candidates and run fair, efficient processes

Manage agency relationships where used

6. Visa and immigration administration

Administer Australian employer-sponsored visa processes (e.g. 482/186), including nominations, compliance obligations and renewals

Coordinate with migration agents as required

Track visa expiries and sponsorship obligations

7. Employee relations

Act as a point of escalation for staff feedback, grievances and complaints

Investigate and resolve matters fairly, promptly and in line with policy and law

Escalate to the Director of Operations where appropriate

Liaise with the HSEQ Manager on psychosocial matters that intersect with WHS obligations

8. Learning and development

Design and implement a structured L&D; system: capability frameworks, training pathways, CPD tracking and budget

Work with Group Leaders to identify technical and leadership development needs

9. Remuneration and benefits

Run the annual remuneration review cycle in coordination with Directors and Finance

Maintain salary benchmarking and banding; monitor pay equity





Administer bonus and benefits programs

10. HR policy ownership

Own, maintain and communicate HR policies: code of conduct, leave, flexible work, sexual harassment (positive duty), bullying and discrimination, performance and discipline

Ensure policies remain current with legislative change and are consistently applied

WHS policy remains with the HSEQ Manager

11. Workforce reporting and planning

Provide regular people metrics to leadership: headcount, turnover, leave liability, tenure, recruitment pipeline

Support Directors with workforce planning inputs

12. Engagement and culture

Design and run the engagement survey cycle and act on findings

Develop recognition and retention initiatives

Contribute to internal communications on people matters

Out of scope

Work health and safety, incident management, workers' compensation and return-to-work - owned by the HSEQ Manager. This role coordinates with HSEQ where people matters intersect.

UAE employment law and contracts - handled separately. This role covers Australian‑employed team members only unless otherwise agreed.

Selection criteria

Essential

Tertiary qualification in HR, Business or a related field, or equivalent experience

4+ years in a generalist HR role with end-to-end lifecycle responsibility

Strong working knowledge of Australian employment law, up-to-date awards and contract compliance

Hands-on HRIS experience; Employment Hero strongly preferred

Demonstrated experience supporting managers with performance and ER matters

Excellent written communication and attention to detail

Ability to work autonomously and prioritise in a small, fast-moving business

Desirable

Experience in professional services, engineering or construction

Experience with employer-sponsored visas

Experience designing or implementing an L&D; program

Graduate recruitment experience

Experience running a remuneration review cycle

AHRI membership

Success in the first 12 months looks like

Employment Hero fully configured and trusted as the single source of truth

All contracts compliant and audited; renewal/variation tracking in place

Graduate recruitment program run successfully with strong candidate quality

Group Leaders actively using you as their first call on people matters

L&D; framework designed, approved and in its first cycle of delivery

Clear view formed on when a junior HR hire is warranted, with a case put to the Director of Operations

Our values in practice

People over process. Context over control. Freedom and responsibility. We hire great people, give them what they need to make good decisions, and trust them to do so.

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📌 Senior HR Consultant - Turnbull Engineering (Sydney)
🏢 Turnbull Engineering
📍 Sydney